Melbourne recruit Chris Dawes is convinced he made the right decision leaving Collingwood

STAR Melbourne recruit Chris Dawes says the maligned Demons' recent form has convinced him he made the right move in leaving Collingwood.

Dawes has been forced to sit out the first six rounds of the AFL season due to a hamstring strain but will make his debut against Gold Coast at the MCG on Sunday.

"It's been frustrating not being able to actually be out there on the field playing my part, particularly those first few rounds when we had patches through games when we were uncompetitive," Dawes said on Thursday.

"But I look at the turnaround in effort consistently across the board just in the last three or four weeks of footy.

"That if anything re-affirms my confidence that I have made the right decision coming to a team that's improving and that wants to improve."

And he is convinced Melbourne is on an upward, if slow, trajectory.

"I think you're going to see - even if there's the odd hiccup every now and then - constant improvement," Dawes said.